No Contradictions

I believe proving the Bible fits together without contradiction is like having the edge pieces together on a puzzle before you work the middle. These edge pieces hold the inside pieces together and provide a framework in which they must all fit. My goal is to show you how and why that edge-piece framework is eternal security.

Let’s begin.

Eternal security (ES) has been a highly-debated topic amongst believers for years. One side says we’re eternally secure and here’s all the verses that prove it. The other side says we’re not eternally secure and here’s all the verses that prove it. Instead of calling those differences ‘contradictions’ – which, of course, the Bible cannot have — each side ‘writes off’ or ‘explains away’ the other side’s proof verses. “Oh, it says that, but what it really means is this…” Believers: this can’t be right! What if ALL those verses were true and meant exactly what they said? Is that possible?

YES!

One reason: the uniqueness of the Holy Spirit’s role and/or function during the Church Age (CA). In a nutshell, He indwells every CA believer, from Paul’s 2nd revelation from Jesus mentioned in Acts 26:16 when the Church began until the Rapture when the Church leaves. He is our guarantee, our down payment, our security until we’re given our glorified eternal bodies and no longer need that earnest deposit. We’re secure due to His INTERNAL action on our behalf. Praise God!

This means that CA believers have eternal security, and, therefore, ES verses (and the books they’re found in) are written to us doctrinally. Verses showing there is no ES (and the books they’re found in) are NOT written to us doctrinally. They apply outside of the CA.

Key Point

So I guess a better way of stating it is it isn’t an argument of whether or not ES exists; it’s understandingWHEN it exists and WHY.

[In an effort to keep this note short, I’m just giving you the overview. I’ve left out the supporting verses, examples, and details. Those can all be found on churchageisdifferent.com. Please check it out. The book is free and the articles are short!]

With the edge pieces in place regarding this extremely important difference between the CA and all other time, let’s continue on to the middle pieces.

Key Passage

A key KEY passage necessary to rightly dividing the Bible – therefore preventing contradictions — is the prophecy found in Daniel 9:24-27. It’s like the main picture in our puzzle. Once that’s put together, we can then begin filling in all the smaller, background pieces.

I cannot stress enough the significance of this amazing prophecy. Though I go into the specific details about it in my free book on churchageisdifferent.com, I’ll give you the high points here.

Daniel 9:24-27 is a prophecy concerning the Jews as stated right off the bat in verse 24. It is not tothe Church nor is it inthe Church Age. The Jews are the people group God is dealing with at that time, and for the entire duration of that prophecy. There can be no sharing of God’s focus between the Jews and the Church. (Two entirely different programs that must exist independently of each other.)

Prophecy Details

This prophecy tells the Jews they have a 490-year waiting period before their kingdom can arrive. 483 years into that 490-year prophecy – just seven years shy of its fulfillment — Jesus rode into Jerusalem offering himself to the Jews as the king of their soon-to-follow kingdom. When they rejected Jesus’ offer to be their king, they caused that ‘soon-to-follow’ kingdom to now be put off until after the Church Age wherein the Church is God’s special people group and the Jews are temporarily set aside.

Now let’s stop for a minute and see what we have so far. We Church Age believers are eternally secure due to the Holy Spirit’s unique role INSIDE us in our time, and our time alone. When our time is up, God picks right back up where He left off with the Jews and the final seven years of their prophecy. We call that time the tribulation. For the Jews, it’s Daniel’s 70th Week. That tribulation period is outside of the Church Age; therefore, there is noES then. Since the Church isn’t around any longer, that fits perfectly. No contradiction.

With that framework and main picture in place, let’s see how some background pieces fit in.